So a couple of weeks ago, I was watching a video game play through on YouTube, and the guys playing it started to talk about how you can say everything is a ripoff of something one way or another. And it got me thinking, we draw influence from a lot of things for our own works: History, music, movies, literature, TV and the like. But where is the line drawn between using elements from those things and ripping them off?

Samsonet

10-22-2013, 10:31 AM

I don't think there's a definite line; it's something of a "know it when you see it" thing.

An orphan girl with wicked stepfamily?
Too vague to be recognized as any one source; inspiration.

Orphan girl gets
magical help to go to a ball and meet Prince Charming?
It's a Cinderella retelling.

Not-so-wicked-stepsister of an orphan girl helps her adopted sister accomplish her dreams despite their cruel mother?
Hard to say.